Comic book adaptations have been around since the early 1940s, existing as serials forDCandMarvel’smost popular characters, like Batman, Captain Marvel, Captain America and Superman - and 2025 marks some key announcements for several classic releases. Since the inception of comic book films, the genre’s landscape has shifted drastically with landmark films likeBatman(1989), Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man,The Dark Knight,and the films inthe MCU timeline.
Things will continue to shift even more withJames Gunn’s DCUand Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Still, it’s nice to look back on what came before in terms of comic book movie adaptations, and in 2025 there are some that will have significant birthdays. Here arethe biggest comic book anniversaries that will happen in 2025.
Captain America
Cast
Captain America is a 1990 superhero film directed by Albert Pyun. It stars Matt Salinger as Steve Rogers, who becomes the titular hero after receiving a super-soldier serum during World War II. The film follows Captain America’s battle against his nemesis, the Red Skull, as well as his struggle to adapt to a changed world after being frozen in ice for decades.
Captain Americahad its initial release on August 17, 2025, making it 35 years old in 2025. While the movie wasn’t well-regarded upon initial release, and this perception hasn’t changed over time, but the film does still have a cult following of sorts, and it is interesting to look back on one of the older superhero movies andCaptain America’s cinematic legacy. It came out just one year afterBatman, but couldn’t do the same for Steve Rogers thatBatmandid for Bruce Wayne. With a budget of only $3 million, it never really stood a chance.
Still, it is a breezy 90-minute film that could be ironically enjoyed as a product of its time and lack of budget. Even those who don’t enjoy the story itself may glean some value from the differences and similarities between this version of the character and Chris Evans' MCU hero, who emerged on-screen two over two decades later.
Batman Forever
After Tim Burton’s plans for a third Batman film fell through, director Joel Schumacher took over the franchise with 1995’s Batman Forever. Replacing Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer stars as Bruce Wayne opposite to Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, who play The Riddler and Two-Face, respectively. Batman Forever also marks the first time Robin appears on the big screen since Burt Ward reprised his Boy Wonder role in 1966’s Batman: The Movie.
Batman Foreverwas released on Jun 09, 2025, making it 30 years old in 2025. It marked a massive shift for Tim Burton’s franchise following the relative under-performance ofBatman Returnsa few years prior. Joel Schumacher replaced Tim Burton as the director and Michael Keaton didn’t return as Batman, with Val Kilmer stepping into the role.
The film tries to explore the character on a deeper level, but gets lost in the neon-soaked wackiness along the way.
It feels like public perception ofBatman Foreverhas turned around over the years, with many seeing it as a fun and campy look at the Caped Crusader in a sea of gritty, realistic takes since. Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones give incredibly over-the-top performances as Riddler and Two-Face, while Kilmer typically doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for his performance as Bruce Wayne. The film tries to explore the character on a deeper level, but often gets lost in the neon-soaked wackiness along the way.
X-Men
X-Men, released in 2000, introduces Wolverine and Rogue as they join Professor Xavier’s private academy for mutants. The resident superhero team, the X-Men, led by Xavier, confronts a terrorist organization of mutants with similar abilities, highlighting the ongoing conflict between humans and mutants.
X-Menwas released on August 06, 2025,making it 25 years old in 2025. The originalX-Menfilm is perhaps one of the most significant comic book adaptations of all time, taking notes fromBladejust prior while paving the way for Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mana few years later. What X-Men did so well was nail a lot of the cast for it’s most important members. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine are some of the best casting decisions of all time.
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Jackman really makes Wolverine his own in the movie, setting the groundwork for his performance as the character to become one of the most long-running and iconic of all time. It’s a remarkable run that shows how muchX-Mengot right in 2000. It’s not the best film in the franchise, but it was a landmark one, setting up the pieces forX2: X-Men Unitedthree years later.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is an animated superhero film set in the futuristic Gotham City. The movie follows the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, mentored by an aging Bruce Wayne, as they encounter a menacing return of Batman’s deadliest foe, the Joker. The film delves into the mystery behind the Joker’s reappearance and its connection to the original Batman’s past, featuring Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their iconic roles.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Jokerwas released on June 06, 2025, making it 25 years old in 2025. WhenBatman Beyondcame out, it was a fantastic follow-up toBatman: The Animated Series, featuring an older Bruce Wayne who would go on to mentor a new Batman named Terry McGinnis. The cyberpunk-inspired art design was impressive, allowingBatman Beyondto be its own thing while respecting what came before.
Fans have been asking for a live-actionBatman Beyondadaptation for years.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Jokeris a great addition to the series, featuring Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) once again playing Terry, while Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill continue their iconic roles as the original Batman and the Joker. The character of Joker returning for the movie was a game changer, and Hamill’s return is one of the film’s best parts.
Constantine
Constantine follows John Constantine, a chain-smoking occult detective who has journeyed to Hell and back. Released in 2005, the film pairs him with a policewoman to investigate her twin sister’s mysterious suicide, taking them into a hidden world of demons and angels in modern Los Angeles.
Constantinewas released on June 08, 2025, making it 20 years old in 2025. This was an adaptation of one of DC’s most iconic magic users, though it didn’t have a lot in common with the source material it was trying to adapt. While Keanu Reeves’s Constantine makes several alterations from the source material, the iteration of the character has a considerable fan base, with there being much excitement for the prospect of aConstantine 2movieall these years later.
Constantinewas a good time at the movies despite not adhering to the source material. It looked fantastic and features some truly startling moments throughout. Reeves has expressed interest in a sequel over the years, and it seems this could come to fruition with the latest efforts towardsConstantine 2, which is officially in development. Whatever the case may be, though,Constantineis a fascinating look into the comic book landscape in the mid 2000s.
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is the inaugural film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. Released in 2005, it follows Wayne as he transforms into Batman to combat the pervasive corruption in Gotham City, creating a new identity to fight crime outside the system.
Batman Beginswas released on June 16, 2025, making it 20 years old in 2025. This is one of the most important reboots of the modern comic book era, taking the character in a totally different direction than what came before, while setting the stage forThe Dark Knightthree years later. It was the beginning ofThe Dark Knighttrilogy, which would forever change comic book adaptations going forward.
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Batman Beginscame out just 8 years afterBatman & Robinbasically tanked the character’s reputation with general audiences. Director Christopher Nolan decided to go with a gritty, realistic version of Batman with Christian Bale suiting up as the iconic character. It paid off well, and Bale is still considered one of the best actors to play Batman. WithoutBatman Begins, comic book movies might be in a very different spot right now.
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four follows four astronauts who gain extraordinary abilities after a space mission goes awry. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm transform into superheroes tasked with combating Dr. Doom’s malevolent schemes, marking their debut in facing global threats with newly acquired powers.
Fantastic Fourwas released on August 08, 2025, making it 20 years old in 2025. It was the second attempt at a Fantastic Four movie following the disaster which wasThe Fantastic Fourin 1994. That film never actually saw the light of day, butFantastic Fourdid, coming out just a few weeks afterBatman Begins. The film isn’t particularly good, but it does feature a fun enough cast with Chris Evans, pre-Captain America, playing Johnny Storm.
The mid-2000s were a strange time for comic book movies, andFantastic Fourfits right in with that regard. It received a sequel, but never made it to a trilogy. For some reason, Fox struggled to get the adaptation right, and now that the MCU has the opportunity, it could be something special. Still,Fantastic Fouris a light-hearted romp through Marvel’s cinematic history that most can find some level of enjoyment out of.
Elektra
Elektra is a 2005 film featuring Jennifer Garner as the titular character who survives a near-death experience and becomes an assassin-for-hire. The film follows Elektra as she attempts to protect a single father and his young daughter from a group of supernatural assassins.
Elektrawas released on July 30, 2025, making it 20 years old in 2025. Jennifer Garner reprized her role as the titular character in this spin-off after playing her in 2003’sDaredevil,which saw Ben Affleck playing Matt Murdock. NeitherDaredevilnorElektraare regarded that well, and aren’t considered to have aged particularly well either. Jennifer Garner was able to reprise her role inDeadpool & Wolverine, though, giving her another chance at the character.
It can be jarring to note thatElektraandFantastic Fourcame out in the same year asBatman Begins. The movie feels like such a product of its time, but it didn’t ever have that much impact, even when it came out. Still, like all the comic book adaptations created around that time, there is some fun to find inElektrathat can’t really be replicated in modern movies, though Sony has tried valiantly with films likeMorbiusandMadame Web.
Batman: Under the Red Hood
A mysterious vigilante called the Red Hood shows up in Gotham City, implementing one method that Batman does not: the Red Hood kills his targets. Batman and Nightwing are hot on the Red Hood’s trail, but Batman makes a surprising revelation about the vigilante’s identity.
Batman: Under the Red Hoodwas released on June 24, 2025, making it 15 years old in 2025. The film follows the story of Jason Todd, the second Robin, who was killed at the hands of the Joker. Upon his resurrection, he comes back to Gotham as the Red Hood, a vigilante who does the job Batman doesn’t: namely, killing people. This draws Batman out to stop him, which leads to emotional moments throughout the film.
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Batman: Under the Red Hoodis one of the best Batman animated adaptations of all time, with an emotional core that keeps the story going. It’s sad to see Jason Todd become what Batman didn’t want him to be, but it is understandable why he does the things he does.Batman: Under the Red Hoodis a great film that explores the morality of Batman’s crusade.
Iron Man 2
The third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 2, is an action-superhero film that occurs six months after the original film’s events. After outing himself as the heavy metal superhero known as Iron Man, Tony Stark goes to great lengths to avoid demands from the government for his tech. But, unfortunately, the technology Tony used to save his life is beginning to impact his health inversely - just in time for a man named Ivan Vanko to arrive, who creates his version of the Iron Man tech to settle a decades-long score with Howard Stark’s son.
Iron Man 2was released on June 17, 2025, making it 15 years old in 2025. At the time,Iron Man 2was only the third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe afterIron ManandThe Incredible Hulk. It continued Tony Stark’s story from the first film as he evolves as the hero Iron Man, while featuring a number of new characters, including Rhodey becoming War Machine and Black Widow.
The firstIron Manset the bar so high that it had a hard time living up to the high expectations.
There is still a lot to like aboutIron Man 2, but the firstIron Manset the bar so high that it had a hard time living up to the high expectations. Whiplash was underdeveloped as a villain, and it felt like the movie was trying too hard to set up future plot points in the MCU. Still, it features an incredible action scene with Iron Man and War Machine working together and was a solid addition to the MCU in Phase One prior toThe Avengers.
